The third and final day of the Shaky Knees Music Festival didn’t quite live up to the high bar set by the first two days, but it still offered great music covering a variety of genres.
UK trio Demob Happy unleashed a ferocious set of heavy alternative rock on the Criminal Records stage. Drummer Thomas Armstrong laid the foundation with his pounding beats, banging head, and screamed background vocals. Guitarist Adam Godfrey and bassist Matthew Marcantonio thrashed out sludgy, down-tuned riffs while Marcantonio sang in a droning voice. From the crunching “Less Is More” to the rattling “Succubus”, Demob Happy brought energy and raw power to the stage. Their performance was best exemplified by the hook-laden “Runnin’ Around, with starts out hypnotic before bursting into a frenetic mosher, Godfrey’s guitar growling through power chords.
At the Ponce De Leon stage, Boston’s Slothrust brought a versatile set that showed the alternative band’s ability to rock out and croon with equal skill. Singer-guitarist Leah Wellbaum showed the soulful vocal chops to deliver on slow ballads like “Walk Away” as well as the guitar chops for the band’s faster rock songs. Blending psych rock, jazz, blues, and alternative into one unique concoction, Slothrust delivered a standout performance. The set’s standout was the dynamic “Fever Doggs,” which starts slow and soft, builds into a mid-tempo alt-rock anthem and then ends in a speed punk-inspired frenzy.
“This is our first time using background visuals,” said Electric Guest vocalist Asa Taccone early in the set. “Our label sent us a five-second clip and just told us to loop it.” The funk pop band seemed to relish playing on the big Peachtree stage at Shaky Knees, noting that it was a sign that the band was becoming “moderately successful.” After an early scare where bassist Luke Top was having equipment problems — which Taccone said was “the worst nightmare” for bands — the band recovered with a solid set of danceable grooves. Top’s grooving basslines and Matthew Compton’s propulsive beats turned the field into a dancefloor, with Taccone’s soothing falsetto serenading the partiers. The infectious “Back & Forth” showed the band in top form, Taccone jumping back and forth between dancing and playing keyboards. Though a bit out of its element in a festival of primarily rock bands, Electric Guest’s funky set was a good change of pace.
Indie band Grouplove brought a party to the Peachtree stage, delivering the most fun performance of the day. Co-vocalists Christian Zucconi and Hannah Hooper jumped, danced, and ran the length of the stage while leading the band. They debuted two new songs off the upcoming album, including the rambunctious “Deleter,” but it was the hits from the first three albums that made the performance. “Itchin’ on a Photograph” showed the band at its dynamic and grandiose best. The thumping bass of “Welcome to Your Life” got the crowd going, as did the set-closing “Colours.” During the performance of “Tongue Tied,” Hooper left the stage and sand while strutting through the crowd. Grouplove also played an aggressive gover of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” which Hooper said would be the last time they played it live. Grouplove thrives on dynamic sonic explosions, which makes them a fantastic festival band.
After the grandiose performance by Gouplove, Phosphorescent brought Shaky Knees back down to earth with a slow, chill performance. Playing a mostly slow set with a few mid-tempo tracks, Matthew Houck built an atmospheric presence on the Piedmont stage. From the opening song of “Terror in the Canyons,” intricate melodies and various effects on Houck’s vocals, guitar, and on keyboards created the mood.
The hybrid rock stylings of UK band Foals took over the Peachtree stage. Frontman Yannis Philippakis and company combined funk rhythms, jangling lead guitar, and occasional hard rock riffing to create its unique sound. From the melodic earwig “Mountain at my Gates” to the hopping bass of “Olympic Airways,” the band created many variants of the Foals sound while staying true to its roots. The hip-shaking grooves and jangly guitar of “My Number” showed off the funkier side of the band, while with “Inhaler,” Foals got aggressive, Philippakis screaming into the mic while laying down a grungy garage rock riff. At one point, Philippakis jammed on guitar while walking up and down the photo pit. Foals brought the energy to the last show of its North American tour, earning a well-deserved break.
Shaky Knees went pop on the Piedmont stage as Maggie Rogers delivered a high-energy performance. Constantly running the length of the stage, dancing, and posing, Rogers worked the crowd, playing hits from her debut LP Heard It In a Past Life. Opening with “Give a Little,” Rogers showed off a strong voice and vibrant stage presence, though her songs were at times unable to rise above generic pop. “Light On” and the set-closing “Fallingwater” were high points for the show.
After three days of eclectic rock music, with occasional offerings of pop, R&B, and others, Tame Impala closed out the Shaky Knees Festival on a different tone. Australian artist Kevin Parker and his backing band delivered a set of psychedelic music that mixed ethereal melodies, funk and dance beats, effect-laden dense soundscapes, and occasional rock flourishes. Opening with “Let It Happen,” cannons shot confetti into the crowd, signaling a shift from the rock sensibilities of earlier acts as well as the start of the festival’s ending party. The performance was just as visual as auditory, with psychedelic imagery displayed on massive screens alongside a laser and light show. Parker and company broke out fuzzed guitars for the rock strut of “Elephant,” but for the most part the set was light on rock and heavy on trippy atmosphere. The disco-rock number “The Less I Know the Better” and the thumping bass of “Love/Paranoia” were standouts. After ending the regular set with “Apocalypse Dreams,” Tame Impala returned to the stage and performed the ballad “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” and funk-influenced “New Person, Same Old Mistakes.”
With Shaky Knees coming to a close, festival goers left with fond memories of epic performances, of sticking it out in the pouring rain, and of a break from normal life to revel in great music for a weekend. The biggest problem most people had was figuring out who to see when two great acts frequently played simultaneously. Though it deviated at times from the festival’s rock roots, it remains one of the best festivals in the
